Southampton back out of Olivier Ntcham negotiations | OneFootball

Following the departure of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Southampton have had a much more difficult time replacing their former captain than originally expected.

The Saints nearly completed a deal for United States international Weston McKennie, only for Juventus to hijack the deal at the last second.

Southampton have since been heavily linked to a move to Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham but, according to the Glasgow Times, the Saints have pulled out of the race for the 24-year-old.

Porto, who had serious interest in Ntcham last summer, and Champions League semi-finalists Lyon are both said to still be in the running.

It’s unclear exactly why Southampton are no longer interested in Ntcham but with just less than two weeks until the start of the Premier League season, it’s assumed that the Saints would be close to striking a deal with another central midfielder.